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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. land — a country
  3. race — the arms race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. court — of a king
  6. land — ground
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. race — humankind
  10. rule — government
  11. court — of law
  12. game — a match
  13. plane — a tool
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. court — for sport
  16. rule — a law
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. land — to come down
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. hand — in cards
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com